Graphitic Carbon Nitride Research Articles

Ultrafast hydrogen production in boron/oxygen-codoped graphitic carbon nitride revealed by nonadiabatic dynamics simulations.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4 or GCN) shows promise in photocatalytic water splitting, despite facing the challenge of rapid electron-hole recombination. In this study, we investigated the influence of boron/oxygen codoping on the photocatalytic performance of GCN systems for hydrogen generation. First-principles calculations and nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) simulations were employed to reveal that the recombination time of photogenerated carriers could be increased by 16% to 64% in the codoped systems compared to the pristine GCN. The time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) scheme was utilized to select energy windows and initiate dynamics in cluster models of B/O co-doped heptazine with water molecules. Notably, we observed efficient direct photodissociation of hydrogen atoms from water molecules within 60 fs and proton hops within the hydrogen-bonded network within 80 fs in the co-doped system, diverging from the previously proposed mechanism for pristine heptazine in NAMD simulations. This discovery underscores the significant role of faster proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions and rapid radiationless relaxation in achieving high photocatalytic efficiency in water splitting. Our work enhances the understanding of the internal mechanism of highly efficient photocatalysts for water splitting and provides a new design strategy for doped GCN.

Interlayer Potassium Single-Atom-Coordinated g-C3N4 for Significantly Boosted Visible Light Photocatalytic H2 Production.

In recent years, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has attracted considerable attention because it includes earth-abundant carbon and nitrogen elements and exhibits good chemical and thermal stability owing to the strong covalent interaction in its conjugated layer structure. However, bulk g-C3N4 has some disadvantages of low specific surface area, poor light absorption, rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers, and insufficient active sites, which hinder its practical applications. In this study, we design and synthesize potassium single-atom (K SAs)-doped g-C3N4 porous nanosheets (CM-KX, where X represents the mass of KHP added) via supramolecular self-assembling and chemical cross-linking copolymerization strategies. The results show that the utilization of supramolecules as precursors can produce g-C3N4 nanosheets with reduced thickness, increased surface area, and abundant mesopores. In addition, the intercalation of K atoms within the g-C3N4 nitrogen pots through the formation of K-N bonds results in the reduction of the band gap and expansion of the visible-light absorption range. The optimized K-doped CM-K12 nanosheets achieve a specific surface area of 127 m2 g-1, which is 11.4 times larger than that of the pristine g-C3N4 nanosheets. Furthermore, the optimal CM-K12 sample exhibits the maximum H2 production rate of 127.78 μmol h-1 under visible light (λ ≥ 420 nm), which is nearly 23 times higher than that of bare g-C3N4. This significant improvement of photocatalytic activity is attributed to the synergistic effects of the mesoporous structure and K SAs doping, which effectively increase the specific surface area, improve the visible-light absorption capacity, and facilitate the separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Besides, the optimal sample shows good chemical stability for 20 h in the recycling experiments. Density functional theory calculations confirm that the introduction of K SAs significantly boosts the adsorption energy for water and decreases the activation energy barrier for the reduction of water to hydrogen.

Engineering Built-In Electric Field Microenvironment of CQDs/g-C3N4 Heterojunction for Efficient Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

Graphitic carbon nitride (CN), as a nonmetallic photocatalyst, has gained considerable attention for its cost-effectiveness and environmentally friendly nature in catalyzing solar-driven CO2 conversion into valuable products. However, the photocatalytic efficiency of CO2 reduction with CN remains low, accompanied by challenges in achieving desirable product selectivity. To address these limitations, a two-step hydrothermal-calcination tandem synthesis strategy is presented, introducing carbon quantum dots (CQDs) into CN and forming ultra-thin CQD/CN nanosheets. The integration of CQDs induces a distinct work function with CN, creating a robust interface electric field after the combination. This electric field facilitates the accumulation of photoelectrons in the CQDs region, providing an abundant source of reduced electrons for the photocatalytic process. Remarkably, the CQD/CN nanosheets exhibit an average CO yield of 120µmol g-1, showcasing an outstanding CO selectivity of 92.8%. The discovery in the work not only presents an innovative pathway for the development of high-performance photocatalysts grounded in non-metallic CN materials employing CQDs but also opens new avenues for versatile application prospects in environmental protection and sustainable cleaning energy.

Nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dot as electron acceptor anchored on graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet for improving rhodamine B degradation

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) hold significant promise for wastewater treatment because of their remarkable attributes, including robust stability, outstanding biocompatibility, minimal toxicity, superior water dispersibility, cost-effective production, and exceptional photo-stability.In this study, CQDs were synthesized using microplasma and tested for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) (5 mg/L) under different conditions, with a Solar simulator and UVA illumination. Specifically, graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (NCN) in conjugation with carbon quantum dots (NCN@CQD) were prepared with different amounts of CQD. The synthesized CQD, NCN, and NCN@CQD underwent characterization using various compositional and structural analytical techniques. The results show that nitrogen species were effectively incorporated into the CQDs framework and CQDs are anchored on NCN forming NCN@CQD successfully. Subsequently, all samples were then investigated in degrading Rhodamin B, RhB, to assess the photocatalytic activity. The results reveal that the presence of CQDs substantially improved the photocatalytic efficiency of NCN. Specifically, the CQDs anchored on NCN exhibited a substantial enhancement in the photoactivity for RhB decomposition under a solar light simulator, surpassing that of pure NCN. The amount of CQD in the NCN@CQD sample exerted a strong influence on the photocatalytic activity. All NCN@CQD samples exhibited remarkable enhancements in both adsorption and photocatalytic performance compared to pure CQD and NCN samples. In an optimization study, a best NCN@CQ photocatalyst was identified, showing a 40 % enhancement of photocatalytic efficiency compared to the use of NCN alone. A visible light photocatalytic activity of 91 % can be attained within 150 min, exhibiting a reaction rate constant of 0.0135 min−1 toward RhB decomposition, which was double as for the individual NCN (0.0067 min−1). The boosted photocatalytic activity resulting from the synergistic effect between NCNs and CQDs can be attributed to the efficient function of CQD as an electron acceptor. The proposed mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of RhB is illustrated in detail.

Modified-TiO2 Nanotube Arrays as a Proficient Photo-Catalyst Nanomaterial for Energy and Environmental Applications

Recently, TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNTAs) have attracted researcher’s attention in the fields of energy production and environmental remediation applications; this is mainly due to their unique optoelectronic characteristics, corrosion resistance, chemical and mechanical stability. In this study, the ability of employing of TiO2 nanotube arrays-based catalysts in the field of photocatalytic CO2 reduction has been investigated. Possible modification strategies have been presented for improving the TNTAs performance by using different types of nanomaterials including graphitic carbon nitrides (g-C3N4), metal-organic frame work (MOF), reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). The TNTAs composites were characterized using XRD and FESEM analyses and the results revealed the successful synthesis of these composites. The TNTAs and their composites exhibited good results for the photo-conversion of CO2 into CH4 gas product. This study gives new ideas for making and developing low-cost Ti metal-based nanomaterials which can be used in the future for recycling the CO2 gas emissions into useful solar fuels.

Magnetic soft centirobot to mitigate biological threats

AbstractSoft robots have drawn a lot of interest in the field of human–robot interfaces because they can mimic the propulsion of soft bodies and archive complex tasks that cannot be made by rigid robots such as performing the complex motion, avoiding collisions by absorbing impacts, and shape adaptation by elastic deformation. Herein, drawing inspiration from creatures in the Cambrian period, such as Hallucigenia, we develop a centimeter‐sized soft robot with multiple magnetic legs (referred to as a soft centirobot). This robot is equipped with graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) nanosheets to kill biological threats by photogenerated reactive oxygen species under black light illumination. The motion of g‐C3N4 soft centirobot is controlled by magnetic actuation even in complex wastewater samples (with a relative speed of 0.12 body lengths per second). The magnetic multilegs work as a propeller to walk across and cover large regions, and water disinfection is more efficient than what could be achieved by nano/micrometer scale sheets of g‐C3N4. Finally, factors affecting the accelerated propulsion of g‐C3N4 soft centirobot such as design principle, structure geometry, body mass, driving mechanism, and magnetic sensitivity, have been investigated. We envision that such a photoactive 2D material‐based integrated centimeter‐sized robot shall find application in many areas where pathogen removal is required.

Localized surface-plasmon resonance effect as a new driver of Z-scheme electron transfer in cerium dioxide–graphitic carbon nitride heterojunctions

The intersecting interface between the two semiconductors of cerium dioxide (CeO2)–graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) heterojunctions, which have demonstrated excellent photocatalytic activity, inhibits the rapid compounding of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs of g-C3N4. CeO2–g-C3N4 heterojunctions with Z-scheme and type-II electron-transfer routes were prepared via calcination in argon and air atmospheres, respectively. The built-in electric field theory cannot be used to explain the presence of a type-II electron-transfer route in CeO2–g-C3N4 heterojunctions. According the femtosecond transient absorption spectra, the localized surface-plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of CeO2 drove the Z-scheme electron transfer in CeO2–g-C3N4 heterojunctions. The CeO2–g-C3N4 heterojunction exhibited a type-II electron-transfer route when the particle size of CeO2 increased, which attenuated the LSPR effect. The CeO2–g-C3N4 heterojunction with the Z-scheme electron-transfer route exhibited 4.4 times higher degradation efficiency for bamboo pulping wastewater than g-C3N4, and this result was attributed to the reduced complexation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and extended photogenerated electron lifetime. Overall, this research provides a new idea for constructing Z-scheme electron-transfer heterojunctions.

Spherical g-C3N4@PDA nanocarrier for synergistic chemo-photothermal tumor therapy

In this paper, by wrapping the near-infrared (NIR) response polydopamine (PDA) as a nanocoating on the surface of spherical nano graphitic phase carbon nitride (g-C3N4), a multifunctional g-C3N4/PDA (CNP) nanocarrier platform was prepared. The π-conjugation system in PDA and the electronegative hydroxyl groups on the surface of CNP promote the creation of abundant active sites, which had a high drug loading rate of about 98.5 % for the electropositive GA. Due to the strong NIR reaction of CNP, the release of GA from CNP/GA can be greatly accelerated by the rising temperature, bonding disruption and charge transfer. Moreover, the photo-generated electron-hole pairs could be excited by the NIR effect of CNP, which promotes the production of ROS (·OH, ·O2– and 1O2) to induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Thus, the present spherical CNP nanocarrier with a combination of enzyme-mimic activity and NIR-responsive properties has a great potential for chemo-photothermal synergistic tumor therapy.

Sensitizer created defective metal organic framework as a new platform for boosting visible-light photocatalysis of g-C3N4

We developed herein for the first time a sensitizer created defective MOF (SCD-MOF), simultaneously possessing sensitizers and defects as visible-light harvester and electron trapper, respectively, which can synergistically improve the visible-light photocatalysis of polymeric graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). Based on this discovery, the resulting 5.0 wt% FeTCPP⊂UiO-66@g-C3N4 shows a significant 6.6 and 3.9 times improvement in catalytic efficiency compared with its parent materials of FeTCPP⊂UiO-66 and g-C3N4 in degrading organic pollutants. Moreover, it shows a 10.4 times enhancement in catalytic efficiency compared with commercial TiO2 (P25). Mechanism studies suggest that sensitizer molecules and defects in SCD-MOF can synergistically improve photocatalytic efficiency because of broadening the visible-light response and strengthening the charge carrier separation. This work illustrates a remarkably triple synergetic effect among visible-light harvester, electron/hole separator, and semiconductor and thus established SCD-MOF as a class of new platform to greatly improve the visible-light photocatalytic performance of conventional semiconductors.

Cascade Self-Generation of Carbon Monoxide Triggered by Photoinduced Holes for Efficient Hypoxic Tumors Therapy.

It still remains challenging to design multifunctional therapeutic reagents for effective cancer therapy under a unique tumor microenvironment including insufficient endogenous H2O2 and O2, low pH, and a high concentration of glutathione (GSH). In this work, a CO-based phototherapeutic system triggered by photogenerated holes, which consisted of ionic liquid (IL), the CO prodrug Mn2(CO)10, and iridium(III) porphyrin (IrPor) modified carbonized ZIF-8-doped graphitic carbon nitride nanocomposite (IL/ZCN@Ir(CO)), was designed for cascade hypoxic tumors. Upon light irradiation, the photogenerated holes on IL/ZCN@Ir(CO) oxidize water into H2O2, which subsequently induces Mn2(CO)10 to release CO. Meanwhile, IrPor can convert H2O2 to hydroxyl radical (•OH) and subsequent singlet oxygen (1O2), which further triggers CO release. Moreover, the degraded MnO2 shows activity for glutathione (GSH) depletion and mimics peroxidase, leading to GSH reduction and •OH production in tumors. Thus, this strategy can in situ release high concentrations of CO and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and deplete GSH to efficiently induce cell apoptosis under hypoxic conditions, which has a high inhibiting effect on the growth of tumors, offering an attractive strategy to amplify CO and ROS generation to meet therapeutic requirements in cancer treatment.

A review of g‐C3N4‐based photocatalytic materials for photocatalytic CO2 reduction

AbstractCurrently, the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) has exceeded 400 ppm in the atmosphere. Thus, there is an urgent need to explore CO2 reduction and utilization technologies. Photocatalytic technology can convert CO2 to valuable hydrocarbons (CH4, CH3OH, and C2H5OH, etc.), realizing the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy as well as solving the problems of fossil fuel shortage and global warming. Graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4), as a two‐dimensional nonmetallic semiconductor material, shows great potential in the field of CO2 photoreduction due to its moderate bandgap, easy synthesis method, low cost, and visible light response properties. This review elaborates the research progress of g‐C3N4‐based photocatalysts for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. The modification strategies (e.g., morphology engineering, elemental doping, crystallinity modulation, cocatalyst modification, and constructing heterojunction) of g‐C3N4‐based photocatalysts for CO2 reduction application have been discussed in detail. Finally, the challenges and development prospects of g‐C3N4‐based photocatalytic materials for CO2 reduction are presented.

Shining bright: B@S-codoped graphitic carbon nitride nanorods illuminate enhanced catalytic C-N bond formation under visible-light

Graphitic carbon nitride as a photocatalyst seeking attention nowadays, due to its thermal stability, band structure, and chemical properties. Herein, we reported a boron sulfur co-doped graphitic carbon nitride (B@S-g-C3N4) photocatalyst synthesized by a one-pot thermal polycondensation mechanism. However, it was observed that due to co-doping in native carbon nitride structure the photocatalytic behavior and the band structure enhanced which was capable of fascinating the demand of organic transformations i.e. photocatalytic and charge transfer capability. The synthesized B@S-g-C3N4 photocatalyst was characterized by UV–vis DRS, FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDX, HR-TEM, XPS and electrochemical properties. In addition, the synthesized B@S-g-C3N4 photocatalyst is a metal-free carbon nitride photocatalyst proven to be highly effective in performing organic transformations (conversion yield 98 %) like C-N bond formation under visible light source.

Graphitic carbon nitride alleviates cadmium toxicity to soybeans through nitrogen supply

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a promising candidate for heavy metal remediation, primarily composed of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). It has been demonstrated that g-C3N4 adjusts rhizosphere physicochemical conditions, especially N conditions, alleviating the absorption and accumulation of Cadmium (Cd) by soybeans. However, the mechanisms by which g-C3N4 induces N alterations to mitigates plant uptake of Cd remain unclear. This study investigated the impact of g–C3N4–mediated changes in N conditions on the accumulation of Cd by soybeans using pot experiments. It also explored the microbiological mechanisms underlying alterations in soybean rhizospheric N cycling induced by g-C3N4. It was found that g-C3N4 significantly increased N content in the soybean rhizosphere (p < 0.05), particularly in terms of available nitrogen (AN) of nitrate and ammonium. Plants absorbed more ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), the content of which in the roots showed a significant negative correlation with Cd concentration in plant (p < 0.05). Additionally, g-C3N4 significantly affected rhizospheric functional genes associated with N cycling (p < 0.05) by increasing the ratio of the N-fixation functional gene nifH and decreasing the ratios of functional genes amoA and nxrA involved in nitrification. This enhances soybean's N-fixing potential and suppresses denitrification potential in the rhizosphere, preserving NH₄⁺-N. Niastella, Flavisolibacter, Opitutus and Pirellula may play a crucial role in the N fixation and preservation process. In summary, the utilization of g-C3N4 offers a novel approach to ensure safe crop production in Cd-contaminated soils. The results of this study provide valuable data and a theoretical foundation for the remediation of Cd polluted soils.

Highly stable TiO2/g-C3N4 composite electrodes for quasi-solid-state supercapacitor applications

Supercapacitor research focuses on cheap, long-lasting electrode materials. As a semiconductor, titanium dioxide (TiO2) is cheap and chemically stable, making it a promising electrode material for supercapacitors. The goal is to improve carbon-based composites by hybridizing conductive materials. The graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a stable and common allotrope of C3N4. Its optical, electrical, and structural properties make it a good hybrid system for supercapacitors. With a simple, affordable, and successful thermal decomposition method, we synthesized a TiO2/g-C3N4 composite material. Supercapacitors have 20.6 F g−1 specific capacitance, 63 Wh kg−1 energy density, and 92 % Coulombic efficiency. The TiO2/g-C3N4 composite showed highly stable electrochemical performance even after 10,000 charge–discharge cycles.

Chemiresistive Materials for Alcohol Vapor Sensing at Room Temperature

The development of efficient sensors able to detect alcoholic compounds has great relevance in many fields including medicine, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, safety, and security. In addition, the measurements of alcohols in air are significant for environmental protection because volatile alcohols can have harmful effects on human health not only through ingestion, but also through inhalation or skin absorption. The analysis of alcohols in breath is a further expanding area, being employed for disease diagnoses. The analyses performed by using chromatography, mass-spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, or Raman spectroscopy often require complex sampling and procedures. As a consequence, many research groups have focused their efforts on the development of efficient portable sensors to replace conventional methods and bulky equipment. The ability to operate at room temperature is a key factor in designing portable light devices suitable for in situ real-time monitoring. In the present review, we provide a survey of the recent literature on the most efficient chemiresistive materials for alcohol sensing at room temperature. Remarkable gas-sensing performances have mainly been obtained by using metal oxides semiconductors (MOSs), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), 2D materials, and polymers. Among 2D materials, we mainly consider graphene-based materials, graphitic carbon nitride, transition metal chalcogenides, and MXenes. We discuss scientific advances and innovations published in the span of the last five years, focusing on sensing mechanisms.

Antibacterial potential and dye decolorization with graphitic carbon nitride and eudragit doped CdTe nanostructures evidential molecular docking analysis

Co-precipitation procedure was employed to prepare efficient ternary system-based catalysts composed of various concentrations (2 and 4 wt.%) of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and fixed amount (3 wt.%) of eudragit (Eud)-doped cadmium telluride (CdTe) nanostructures (NSs). The main objective of this study was to explore and enhance the dye degradation potential by changing the recombination rate of CdTe with doping and improving their multifunctional efficacy as catalysts and antibacterial agents. The dopants have altered the particle size, dispersal and optical properties of CdTe. The different concentrations of g-C3N4 and fixed amount of Eud, reaction temperature, and duration influence these characteristic properties of CdTe. g-C3N4 /Eud-doped CdTe with porous structure showed excellent methyl orange (MO) dye degradation efficiency (98.0 %) in neutral medium. Furthermore, 4 wt.% of g-C3N4 doped NSs exhibited significant inhibition zone as 9.35 ± 0.08 mm against MDR S. aureus bacteria. The molecular docking studies were conducted to elucidate the mechanistic interactions between g-C3N4/Eud-doped CdTe nanostructures and the target enzymes DNA gyrase S. aureus and D alanine-D-alanine ligase (ddlB)S. aureus, in order to justify their microbicidal efficacy.

Advanced g-C3N4 and bimetallic FeNi-BTC integration with carbon quantum dots for removal of microplastics and antibiotics in aqueous environments

In this study, a novel approach was undertaken by integrating the photocatalyst graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with FeNi-BTC (BTC: Benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid) and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) to enhance the interaction between semiconductors. The g-C3N4/CQD/FeNi-BTC material was synthesized using an environmentally friendly method that eschews the use of harmful solvents, using a combination of hydrothermal and microwave methods. The resulting material boasts a large pore volume (1.192 cm3g–1), a high surface area (1090 m2g–1), a small particle size (40–60 nm), and the capability to absorb visible light (2.27–2.52 eV). This material demonstrates remarkable efficiency in adsorbing microplastics, including polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), at a concentration of 1200 mg L–1, achieving nearly 100% efficiency in just 45 minutes. Additionally, the g-C3N4/CQD/FeNi-BTC material shows significant effectiveness in degrading tetracycline, with an efficiency of 98.28% after 90 minutes of exposure to visible light irradiation. The study extensively explores factors that influence the pollutant treatment process, including time, concentration, pH value, temperature and the water source. The process of adsorbing MP on g-C3N4/CQD/Fe8Ni2BTC material is mainly physical adsorption, following pseudo-second-order reaction kinetics, endothermic reaction (ΔH > 0), and the adsorption process occurs spontaneously (ΔG < 0). This comprehensive approach provides valuable insights into the potential of the g-C3N4/CQD/FeNi-BTC material for treating pollutants in a range of aquatic environments, highlighting its versatility and effectiveness in environmental remediation.

Exploring Cu-doped graphitic carbon nitride for treatment of dye pollutants in textile wastewater: Benefits and limitations

This study introduces an innovative method utilizing Cu-doped graphitic carbon nitride (Cu-GCN) photocatalyst for the effective removal of dye pollutants such as methylene blue (D-MB) and Rhodamine B (D-RhB) from textile industry wastewater. The findings demonstrate that Cu-GCN achieves impressive degradation efficiency of 86.9 and 75.1 % for D-MB and D-RhB, respectively. Notably, the decomposition rate constants (k) exhibit an inverse relationship with pollutant concentrations. Specifically, the k value of D-MB and D-RhB using Cu-GCN increased from 0.010 to 0.023 min−1 and 0.009 to 0.022 min−1, respectively, with decreasing concentrations from 100 to 5 mg L−1. Besides, the decomposition efficiency of D-MB and D-RhB by Cu-GCN shows enhancements of 15.2 and 13.5 %, respectively, with a rise in solution pH from 5.0 to 9.0. Within 60 min of reaction time, Cu-GCN exhibits good decomposition efficiency of 69.1 % for D-MB and 55.3 % for D-RhB in textile wastewater samples. We also explore the comparative advantages and limitations of utilizing the photocatalysis process for the degradation of D-MB and D-RhB. This work offers valuable insights into the potential of Cu-GCN as a promising photocatalyst that can be further developed for effectively removing various pollutants from textile wastewater.

Development of a C3N4-based electrochemical sensing platform for the detection of circulating tumor cells in blood

This study presents a cancer diagnostics method through the development of a graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-based electrochemical sensor for detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood. Utilizing the unique properties of g-C3N4 nanosheets combined with gold nanoparticles functionalized with DNA aptamers, the sensor exhibits remarkable sensitivity and selectivity in CTC detection. The aptamers specifically target cell surface biomarkers, enabling the precise capture and quantification of CTCs. The sensor's detection limit is an impressive 5 cells/mL, with a broad detection range from 10 to 105 cells/mL. This high-performance sensing platform not only achieves rapid and accurate quantification of CTCs but also demonstrates robustness against interference from other cell types, making it highly suitable for clinical applications. The optimized conditions for aptamer-functionalized nanoparticle concentration and incubation time ensure the sensor's efficacy, as validated in spiked blood samples. This work provides a practical and efficient approach for non-invasive cancer diagnostics, offering significant improvements over existing methods in terms of simplicity, sensitivity, and specificity for early detection and monitoring of cancer progression.

Ag nanocubes-decorated ammonium hydroxide-treated carbon nitride to improve photocatalytic H2O2 production and fuel cell performance

A novel photocatalyst is designed by surface modification and cocatalyst loading of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with ammonium hydroxide and silver nanocubes (AgNCs), respectively. The synergistic effect of the modification in the intralayer of g-C3N4 and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) bands of AgNCs significantly enhances the migration and separation efficiency of photo-induced charge carriers. A nickel mesh coated with photocatalyst and the carbon paper loaded with pristine g–C3N4–mixed iron phthalocyanine (FeIIPc) used as the photoanode and cathode, respectively, are constructed for the self-powered photoelectrochemical cell, which exhibits the maximum power density of 0.74 mW cm−2. The AHCN/AgNCs-based cell reveals approximately a 3.1-times enhancement in maximum power density compared with the pristine g–C3N4–based cell. In addition, the photocatalytically generated H2O2 (chemical energy) can be stored in water, and then used as fuel by the connection of two electrodes in the dark. After the fuel cell is operated for 12 h, the specific capacitance retention rate still maintains as high as 57.2 %, which is the greatest retention rate in comparison with the previously reported H2O2 fuel cell systems. Our work offers a feasible opinion on how to improve the visible light utilization of semiconductors by tuning the intralayer properties and loading plasmonic metal.